The Battle of Fayton's Crossing
* "Men of Rykovia! The Elves of the East have infringed upon our rightful lands and sovereignty for too long! They expand into our territory! They mock our traditions and way of life! They see us Men as nothing more than the insects that inhabit their forests! Well I say enough is enough! Let us march forth and show these knife-eared savages that Rykovia will not yield!" - King Ulric Rykker to his men before The Battle of Fayton's Crossing Prelude Not long into the settling of the new lands hostilities had been started between the newly established races of the west and the Elves of the east in the Surinil Forest. Following the uneasy peace settled by both the Elves of Dur Taur Arda and Varanyr, leaders from both sides agreed to the establishment of a union of Elves known as the Surinil Confederation. Tensions arose between the Confederation and it's Western neighbors due to the policy of Elven supremacy as well as worsening border friction. In response to this growing threat, leaders of the Western Realms convened in Ryksburg, the capital of the Kingdom of Rykovia. On June 20th, 114 F.A., a mutual defensive alliance was created between the The Kingdom of Rykovia, The Kingdom of Kharnruhm, The Zarathustrian Republic, and The County of Eagle Eye. Conditions for an ultimatum were agreed upon, and King Ulric alongside his personal retinue marched to present the terms to the Confederation. Terms of the ultimatum, however, were broken before they were officially presented and expansion by the Elves into what Rykovians claimed to be their land was discovered to be already underway. Demands to cease expansion were rejected, infuriated by this, King Ulric ordered his men to let loose a volley of arrows upon the Elves, whom in turn responded with their own volleys, beginning the Skirmish at Fayton's Crossing. A stalemate was ultimately reached and both sides began mobilizing for war. The Battle Dawn, August 6th, 115 F.A., the battle loomed over the horizon as armies from all across the Alliance stood ready in the siege camp at Fayton's Crossing. After days of bombardment from both sides, Alliance catapults were able to create a small breach in the gates of the Confederation defenses, but before more significant damage could be done, Elven catapults had destroyed all remaining artillery the Alliance had brought. Furthermore, the bombardment left the bridge badly damaged, preventing any effective crossing of further siege equipment, such as battering rams. With limited options now available to them, the Alliance was effeforced to commit their army in a full frontal assault across the bridge. 1,000 Dwarves, Orcs, and Humans stood together side by side against 600 seasoned Elven warriors. Dwarven heavy infantry led by King Yoznic Kharak'Bast served as the vanguard while dismounted Rykovian knights and man-at-arms led by King Ulric as well as Zarathustrian light infantry and skirmishers provided close support. As the battle began the army of the Alliance surged forth across the Fayton Bridge with a bellowing war cry. Hundreds of Elven arrows rained down upon the attackers killing many as they pressed forward. The Dwarven led spearhead clashed with the shield wall of 300 heavy High Elven infantry who held firm against the relentless attack by the Dwarves. Dismounted Ryksguard knights followed closely behind the Dwarves, adding pressure on the High Elf shield wall as Wood Elf and Dark Elf archers exchanged volleys with the Zarathustrian skirmishers. The battle hardened Elves took their toll on the attackers, as their arrows and blades had slain many. However, the sheer number and relentlessness of the Alliance took it's own toll on the High Elves, as their shield wall began to falter while the battle raged on. Eventually, after brutal and bloody melee, the High Elf shield wall broke resulting in a mass rout of the remaining Surinil defenders. By the end of the assault, the Alliance lost roughly almost half of their force, although reports of causalities vary per side, while the Confederation suffered 400 causalities, while the remaining 200 routed and managed to escape.